First Words
by Luminary Clock
Summary: In another life, Padme's worries about her children are far less dire.


**A/N: Written for Anidala Week on tumblr—Day 1: Happy Skywalker Family AU**

Leia had always been more vocal than her brother, babbling cheerfully at her parents while they held her and ready to scream the standard second she didn't get her way.

She wasn't even a year old before she said her first word–"Daddy". Padme wasn't sure she had felt such a range of emotions when elected queen. She and Anakin were beside themselves, crying and laughing while Leia grinned up at her gushing parents and repeated the newly discovered word over and over.

Luke, on the other hand, was happy to quietly observe and let his sister claim the spotlight, most of the time. He babbled to his parents on occasion and enjoyed pointing at anything that interested him, but at a year and a half Luke had yet to utter even one intelligible word while Leia was beginning to form simple sentences.

Padme knew she shouldn't worry. It was still much too early to be concerned. Both of her babies were happy and healthy and she should be grateful for that instead of creating problems out of nothing. Children developed at different rates, that was all. And yet, the part of her that hadn't stopped worrying about the twins since she learned of her pregnancy was going through every worst case scenario as Luke stayed silent, reminding her that both of her nieces had already spoken by that age.

She was a bit comforted by the fact that Anakin wasn't concerned yet, and he was usually even quicker than she was to worry about the twins, frantic at any possible threat to them or to her.

"He'll talk to us when he's ready, Angel," her husband had said, grinning fondly at their baby while Luke giggled. "He does things at his own pace."

"How long would you have waited before taking one of the girls to a specialist?" Padme conversationally asked Sola one early summer day.

"Probably at two years old," her sister replied after a moment's consideration. "Do you think Luke might need it?"

"I'm not sure yet," Padme replied. "I don't think he will, but I keep worrying something is wrong."

"I'm sure he's fine," Sola answered with a reassuring smile. "He's walking and showing interest in his environment. And if he still isn't speaking in a few months, you can always take him to a specialist."

Both of their families were spending a week at the Lake House. Padme was glad, hadn't realized how much she needed this trip until they arrived. It had been far too long since she had seen her sister and spent some time at home.

Her family was happy in Coruscant, but she always missed the rolling green hills and gentle waterfalls of Naboo when she was away. She wasn't ready to give up the Senate just yet, but perhaps they could return to her home planet for good someday. Her career was important, but there were ample opportunities for all of them on Naboo.

For their part, Luke and Leia were always happy to visit Naboo and see their extended family. Her parents and Sola spoiled them and their older cousins showered them with attention whenever their families saw each other. At the moment, both of Padme's nieces were currently sitting by the lake while Leia meticulously decorated their hair with wildflowers.

Padme and her sister were getting some much needed quality time in the shade, watching their children play a short distance away by the lake while their husbands supervised.

Luke had played with his sister and cousins for awhile before he needed a short break, as per usual.

He was content to rest quietly in her arms, running his tiny hands over her japor snipet and tracing its markings. Their father's first gift to her had been an endless source of fascination to the twins ever since they could crawl. They always grabbed it whenever it was in reaching distance. Padme was pleased they enjoyed their father's handiwork so much, but it made her a bit sad as well. There was so little of their father's culture the twins could experience.

Her train of thought was interrupted by shrieks of laughter from Padme's nieces. The cause turned out to be Anakin, who was sitting on the grass and grinning wickedly while Leia stood in his lap and carefully entwined flowers into his hair.

His smile widened when he saw Padme watching and he waved at her. She laughed and waved back.

"Anakin really took to fatherhood," Sola remarked. "In truth, I wouldn't have guessed it the first time I met him. Well, I wouldn't have a guessed a lot of things the first time I met him."

Padme had to smile at that memory. The awkwardness of trying to deny her feelings for Anakin to herself and to him while her amused family observed it all. They could laugh at it now, but it hadn't been funny to her then.

"He really has. I couldn't ask for a better father for the twins," she smiled, watching him lean down so Leia could reach him more easily. "It all seems like a dream sometimes."

They were so close to losing this happiness entirely, and despite the summer heat Padme felt a shiver at the thought.

Suddenly her concerns about Luke and speaking seemed very small by comparison.

"Padme," Sola began hesitantly after a few moments. "You don't think Anakin would ever have…"

"Ever what?" Padme asked, her voice a bit sharper than she intended.

"Ever….ever taken the chancellor's offer and gone to the Dark Side." Before Padme could truly fathom the question, Sola quickly explained. "It's just, those days after the chancellor was killed were pure chaos. It seemed like the entire galaxy had gone mad. And then you were married to a Jedi, and pregnant…and your husband had killed the chancellor. While you were fixing the Republic and having the twins and he was handling the Jedi we never really got the chance to talk about what happened."

Padme glanced over at the lake. Fortunately Anakin was still preoccupied with Leia and didn't seem to notice anything was amiss.

Even over a year later few knew about what really happened that night and what Palpatine had truly wanted from the Hero with No Fear. There weren't many people Padme was willing to speak with about it, and she would have been angry at most for asking what Sola was asking. But Sola was family, and Padme had kept enough secrets from her for a lifetime.

"I don't believe Anakin could ever completely turn away from the good in him," Padme replied slowly. "He wanted to protect us, and his judgment was clouded for awhile because of it. Besides that, the chancellor had been preparing him for the Dark Side since he came to the Temple, manipulating him since he was just a child."

The guilt about her own ignorance concerning Palpatine never truly left her and she doubted it ever would, no matter how much Anakin tried to reassure her she wasn't to blame.

Padme hadn't liked the chancellor's influence on her husband and it had been a sore point since the beginning of their marriage, but she never dreamed of how terrible Anakin's reliance on Palpatine truly was. If she had only seen how deep the chancellor's influence ran, or better yet never allowed him any political power in the first place, the war could have been avoided entirely and her husband saved so much grief.

"I just can't imagine Anakin choosing the Dark Side," she admitted. The night Anakin killed the chancellor had been one of the worst nights for both him and her, but it had led to this happiness. There had been plenty of tears from both of them and a conversation that they should have had long before. Among many other things, Anakin had admitted the temptation he faced at Palpatine's offer in his desperation to save her and the baby, but until Sola's question Padme had never considered the possibility of him giving into it.

Her Ani was complicated which she had known when she married him, but while she wasn't blind to his flaws, to Padme he was the boy who carved a charm for her and saved her planet and later protected her and kissed her so gently and cried at the sight of his newborn babies. She didn't know what she would do if she lost him to the Dark Side.

"But Anakin still made the right choice," Sola reminded her gently. "And that is what matters."

"It is," Padme agreed, looking down at Luke. She gently pulled the japor snippet out of Luke's grip as he tried to place the charm into his mouth. She offered her finger instead, which he happily accepted.

They stopped speaking as Anakin approached, smile bright as the orange and red wild flowers adorning his hair.

"You look quite handsome, Master Skywalker," Padme grinned. "Leia should help you with your hair every day. The HoloNet will be buzzing about _your_ look for a change."

"Don't speak too soon, Angel." He chuckled. "She's chosen you as her next target."

Padme shook her head indulgently, while Anakin laughed again and kissed her forehead, then ruffled Luke's hair.

"Mommy!" Pooja called. "There's a fish! Come see! Come see!"

With a bemused smile, Sola hurried over to her enthusiastic daughter.

"What were you and Sola talking about?" Anakin asked casually when his sister-in-law was gone.

"Nothing much. Just typical sister things," Padme replied with a shrug.

There was a look in his eyes that told her he didn't quite believe that. She would tell him more later, sparing some details. His wounds were much less raw now, but Padme didn't want to ruin this happy moment for him.

She was so proud of her husband, of everything he had done and everything had become. The journey hadn't been easy for him, she knew, and it wasn't over yet, but he had come so far already.

Whatever else lay ahead they would have one another every step of the way.

"What is it?" Anakin asked. And she realized she had been staring at him a little too long.

"Nothing," she replied. "Just thinking about how much I love you."

He leaned down for a kiss and she eagerly obliged.

"We should probably go back to the others now," Padme said a bit reluctantly after they parted. "It's almost lunchtime, and I might as well accept my fate and get my floral makeover."

"If you say so, Angel," Anakin chuckled.

"What do you think, Lukey? Are you ready to go play with the girls some more?" Padme smiled at her son.

Luke was gazing at her, his blue eyes so like his father's brimming with an intensity almost startling in a baby.

"…an…an…angel."

Padme's free hand flew to her mouth and Anakin looked as if he had seen the Force itself manifest before his eyes.

"Did he just…?"

"Angel," Luke repeated more confidently as he pulled a lock of Padme's hair.

Anakin's shout of joy echoed across the lake while Padme frantically called for Sola and Luke beamed all the while.

Yes, whatever the gods had in store for them, good and bad, they would face together.

 **A/N Please review!**


End file.
